A Field Guide To Doomsday

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

UK Scientists have re-created a millennium-old recipe from Bald's Leechbook (a leatherbound, Old English collection of unguents reputed to be one of the earliest-known medical tomes) that seemingly eliminates that modern super-scourge, MRSA.

The concoction calls for garlic, onions (or leeks), wine, and bovine bile to be boiled in a brass vessel, then left to stand for nine days before being strained through a cloth. I'm sure "during an eclipse" and "while chewing dandelions plucked from a bishop's grave" are in the mix somewhere.

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Just think what this means for denizens of the Mutant Future. Thee Olde Wayes (am I doing that right?) just may contain the secrets for combating bioweapons and hyper-germs!

Kylons are ponderous, 14' tall bipeds that weigh well over a ton. Their blue-scaled, bony bodies are covered in assorted nodules, spikes, and plates.

The females rule the species, and any given tribe's temperament is governed by its leaders' Alignment. Chaotic-natured kylons (the most common encountered) lean towards decadence, indulgence, and corruption, and grow fat on the spoils plundered from neighboring sentients.

Kylons can use Ancient technology, but require modifications for their bulk.

Male kylons are the smaller of their species, averaging 9' tall (though appearing much larger with their antlers) and weighing over a half-ton. These imbeciles barely possess two brain cells to rub together, but compensate with a gleeful propensity for stabbing, stomping, and bludgeoning.

Male kylons serve as worker drones for their females, and forage, guard, and attack as commanded.

The village's drinking water contains around 20 times more arsenic than what is considered safe. Apparently, the residents metabolize arsenic not only faster than most people, but also convert it into a less deadly form.

Mummies from the region—dating between 4,000 and 7,000 years old—also have high levels of the hazardous metal, indicating the development of the natives' resistance has been a long-term process.

Related (and lazily truncated) news popped up over the last week about the study, focusing on "50% unidentified material" and CHUD jokes and such. But the whole thing is worth a read, as is the Cell journal article.